Egyptian prisons witnessed another episode of human rights violations as detainee Hisham Al-Haddad, brother of prominent dissident Essam Al-Haddad, passed away in the Tenth of Ramadan Prison after being subjected to deliberate medical neglect, despite ongoing demands for his release due to his deteriorating health condition.
Hisham Al-Haddad was arrested in March 2023 without any legal basis, as part of a retaliatory campaign targeting relatives of political dissenters, even if they are not involved in any political activities.
The defense team for the Al-Haddad family announced their intention to file a complaint with the Egyptian Public Prosecutor to investigate his death, which his lawyers described as premeditated murder resulting from intentional deprivation of medical care.
This death comes amidst the continued severe deterioration in the conditions of political detainees in Egypt, who face serious violations, including denial of healthcare, leading to the deaths of dozens of them in recent years.
Death in custody due to denial of treatment constitutes a flagrant violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that every human being has the right to life. It also contradicts the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), which emphasize the necessity of providing adequate medical care to prisoners without discrimination.
Despite the increasing reports documenting human rights violations by the Egyptian authorities within prisons, international response remains weak. The human rights community faces difficulty in pressuring the Egyptian regime to halt its violations against detainees, which has emboldened it to continue its policies of oppression and slow death within prisons with complete impunity.
